Tractor Safety Initiative: Statistics and Research

Surveillance: Deaths & Injuries from Tractor Incidents
Farm tractors accounted for the deaths of 2,165 people between 1992 and 2001 and were the leading source of fatal occupational injuries in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (CDC/NIOSH, 2004). Today, tractor incidents remain the leading source of death and injury on farms (National Safety Council, 2005). To help understand and prevent farm injuries and deaths, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH) has funded studies nationwide on tractor safety and how to protect farmers and children. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: Read more…

Nearly 1 in 10 farms surveyed had experienced a tractor overturn during the history of their operation. (2002 study of more than 6,000 randomly selected principal farm operators in Kentucky. Cole et al, 2006)
Operators injured during overturns of tractors without roll bars los an average of 97.8 days of farm work (more than three months), compared to operators who are protected by roll bars and seatbelts. (Myers et al, 2006)
Days of farm work lost by operators injured during overturns of tractors without roll bars averaged 97.8 (more than three months) compared to an average of 21.7 days (about three weeks) among operators injured during overturns of tractors with roll bars. (Cole et al, 2006)
Tractor deaths tell only a small part of the story, because for every person killed in a tractor incident, four people are injured non-fatally in tractor overturns. (Myers et al, 2006)

The Costs of Injuries
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) recorded 2,914 worker deaths in tractor-related incidents between 1992 and 2002. This is an average of 265 deaths per year. An average of 125 fatalities per year was attributed specifically to tractor overturns, including non-highway and highway incidents. Over the decade these deaths, as well as the thousands of injuries that occur in non-fatal tractor incidents, inflict an incalculable toll on individuals and families who suffer the loss or witness the pain of a loved one. Every tractor incident also entails quantifiable costs in terms of emergency medical services, direct and indirect health care costs, lost productivity and earnings, and insurance claims. Recently, researchers calculated the costs associated with tractor overturns and roadway collisions, as well as the cost-effectiveness of preventing injuries and deaths when roll bars and seatbelts are used. Here are highlights of that research: Read more…

Researchers at the University of Kentucky examined several sources of national data to estimate the incidence and cost of fatal and non-fatal tractor-related incidents over a 25-year time horizon, beginning in 1997 and extending to 2021. The researchers found the social cost of tractor overturn injuries totaled $1.5 billion when using cost factors for the agricultural population (Myers et al, 2007).
Researchers at the University of California-Davis have likewise calculated the high costs of agricultural injuries, using sophisticated techniques that continue to inform and inspire other cost studies. (Leigh et al, 2001)
Worker compensation claims offer insight into the nature, extent, and costs of agricultural occupational injuries, including tractor-related injuries. Although research continues in this area, it is already known that non-fatal injuries may be even more costly than deaths, primarily because they are much more frequent. (Douphrate and Rosecrance, 2006 [note: large pdf file, slow download])

The Effectiveness of ROPS / Roll Bars
Just as in automobiles, the use of seatbelts on farm tractors can save lives. Unfortunately, however, many farmers do not use seatbelts on their tractors, because they find them to be uncomfortable or inconvenient, or unnecessary for the particular task at hand. This is a common – and costly – mistake. Research shows that, when used together, roll bars and seatbelts are 98% effective in preventing tractor-related injuries and deaths. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: Read more…

In a study of more than 6,000 principal farm operators in Kentucky, 18 out of 19 operators who were wearing a seatbelt during the overturn of a roll bar-equipped tractor experienced no injuries or minor injuries. (One required outpatient care.) No deaths were reported to operators who were wearing a seatbelt during an overturn of a roll bar-equipped tractor. (Myers et al, 2006)
The same study found that an unbelted 19 year old operating a roll bar equipped tractor died in a public roadway incident when he was ejected from the operator’s compartment.
Another study found that in the US the only fatalities associated with overturns of roll bar-equipped tractors occurred when farmers did not use a seatbelt. (Reynolds and Groves, 2000)
By the year 2000, 98% to 99% of all tractors in Sweden, Britain, and Germany were equipped with roll bars or crush-proof cabs. Fatalities in Sweden and Germany were found to have dropped “essentially to zero, almost 25 times lower than the U.S. fatality rate.” (Reynolds and Groves, 2000).
Installing roll bars on the more than 1 million retrofittable tractors in the United States could reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and non-fatal injuries by 53%, according to Pana-Cryan and Myers, 2002 [note: large pdf file, slow download]. Installing roll bars on the more than 1 million retrofittable tractors in the United States could reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and non-fatal injuries by 53%, according to Pana-Cryan and Myers, 2002. Note: There are not commercially available roll bars for all types of tractors that need retrofitting.

Roll Bars: Availability and Incentives
Researchers recognize that many farm operators lack information about the availability of roll bars for specific makes and models of tractors. A lack of information about which roll bars are available for different tractors, what companies supply retrofit roll bars, and how to obtain roll bars often prevents tractor owners from locating and installing roll bars. To help meet the need for information about roll bars and roll bar retrofits, researchers at the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, WI, developed a searchable online roll bar Guide, organized by tractor make and supplier: Bar guide.
Other agricultural safety and health research centers, as well as cooperating equipment dealers and manufacturers, are likewise working to help make roll bars and roll bar retrofits more available to farm operators. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: Read more…

In 2006, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health organized a roll bar retrofit program providing rebates of 70% (up to $600) for the entire cost to retrofit a tractor, as well as a toll–free hotline that offers assistance in locating and pricing roll bar kits (1-877-ROPS-R4U). The program has received public funding through the New York State Legislature and has the support of the New York Farm Bureau and the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association. (NYCAMH, 2007)
In the first year of the program, more than 1000 farmers contacted the hotline, resulting in 259 completed retrofits, 80 additional designated rebates, and another 400 rebates to be processed pending additional funding.
In Kentucky, a roll bar incentive program increased the number of retrofit kits sold at a single dealership from 2 per year before to an average of 11 kits per year during the 4 ½ year intervention. (Myers et al, 2005)
When county data from the Kentucky study was extrapolated statewide, researchers found that 7 lives could be saved and 40 non-fatal injuries in Kentucky would be averted over a combined 20-year intervention period/analytic horizon. The roll bar retrofit solution was cost effective, with an estimated “cost savings” of more than $35,000 per injury averted. (Myers et al, 2004)
Researchers in Spain have used sophisticated computer modeling to develop and test a roll bar retrofit for the Massey Ferguson 178 tractor, one of the most common older models in that country lacking overturn protection. Incident simulations and force testing showed that the designed roll bars would be able to protect the tractor operator during a real overturn. (Mangado et al, 2007)
In the United States, NIOSH has funded a study of cost-effective rollover protective structures (CROPS) with the hope of increasing adoption and eventually preventing injuries due to tractor overturns. Installing CROPS instead of existing ROPS retrofit improved the cost-effectiveness ratio substantially, with a 72% reduction in the net cost per injury prevented. Note: CROPS are weld-free retrofit roll bars constructed with common structural elements and fasteners. (Owusu-Edusei and Biddle, 2007)
At the University of Tennessee and other universities across the US, engineers are methodically testing various models and materials for roll bar retrofits. Such painstaking scientific analysis includes shear testing and compression force testing – all designed to simulate the forces that could otherwise crush a tractor operator during an overturn or roadway collision. (Comer et al, 2007)

In addition, NIOSH research has assisted the Centers in developing engineering controls to reduce injury from tractor overturns through AutoROPS, an automatically deployable roll bar for low clearance and orchard operations.


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CURRENT RESEARCH Contents: Introduction Recent Tractor Safety Research Results Surveillance: Deaths & Injuries from Tractor Incidents The Costs of Injuries The Effectiveness of Roll Bars Roll Bars: Availability and Incentives Recommendations for Future Research Publications Introduction Research to reduce the risk of tractor-related injuries and fatalities should encompass policy, economics, intervention cost-effectiveness, behavior, and other human factors, as well as engineering and technology. Surveillance and epidemiology are critically needed to develop and evaluate interventions for all types of tractor hazards. With baseline injury/fatality rates and continued injury/fatality surveillance, specific goals can be established to assess progress in reducing hazards and injuries. Much of the Agricultural Tractor Safety Initiative’s research has involved roll bars (rollover protective structures or ROPS), because they are a proven technology. We also recommend research on alternatives to roll bars, such as other engineering controls because they may be better suited for different types of farm tasks or environments. Recent Tractor Safety Research Results NIOSH-funded Agricultural Safety and Health Centers Surveillance: Deaths & Injuries from Tractor Incidents Farm tractors accounted for the deaths of 2,165 people between 1992 and 2001 and were the leading source of fatal occupational injuries in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (CDC/NIOSH, 2004). Today, tractor incidents remain the leading source of death and injury on farms (National Safety Council, 2005). To help understand and prevent farm injuries and deaths, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH) has funded studies nationwide on tractor safety and how to protect farmers and children. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: *Read more…* Nearly 1 in 10 farms surveyed had experienced a tractor overturn during the history of their operation. (2002 study of more than 6,000 randomly selected principal farm operators in Kentucky. Cole et al, 2006) Operators injured during overturns of tractors without roll bars los an average of 97.8 days of farm work (more than three months), compared to operators who are protected by roll bars and seatbelts. (Myers et al, 2006) Days of farm work lost by operators injured during overturns of tractors without roll bars averaged 97.8 (more than three months) compared to an average of 21.7 days (about three weeks) among operators injured during overturns of tractors with roll bars. (Cole et al, 2006) Tractor deaths tell only a small part of the story, because for every person killed in a tractor incident, four people are injured non-fatally in tractor overturns. (Myers et al, 2006) The Costs of Injuries The U.S. Department of Labor’s Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) recorded 2,914 worker deaths in tractor-related incidents between 1992 and 2002. This is an average of 265 deaths per year. An average of 125 fatalities per year was attributed specifically to tractor overturns, including non-highway and highway incidents. Over the decade these deaths, as well as the thousands of injuries that occur in non-fatal tractor incidents, inflict an incalculable toll on individuals and families who suffer the loss or witness the pain of a loved one. Every tractor incident also entails quantifiable costs in terms of emergency medical services, direct and indirect health care costs, lost productivity and earnings, and insurance claims. Recently, researchers calculated the costs associated with tractor overturns and roadway collisions, as well as the cost-effectiveness of preventing injuries and deaths when roll bars and seatbelts are used. Here are highlights of that research: *Read more…* Researchers at the University of Kentucky examined several sources of national data to estimate the incidence and cost of fatal and non-fatal tractor-related incidents over a 25-year time horizon, beginning in 1997 and extending to 2021. The researchers found the social cost of tractor overturn injuries totaled $1.5 billion when using cost factors for the agricultural population (Myers et al, 2007). Researchers at the University of California-Davis have likewise calculated the high costs of agricultural injuries, using sophisticated techniques that continue to inform and inspire other cost studies. (Leigh et al, 2001) Worker compensation claims offer insight into the nature, extent, and costs of agricultural occupational injuries, including tractor-related injuries. Although research continues in this area, it is already known that non-fatal injuries may be even more costly than deaths, primarily because they are much more frequent. (Douphrate and Rosecrance, 2006 [note: large pdf file, slow download]) The Effectiveness of ROPS / Roll Bars Just as in automobiles, the use of seatbelts on farm tractors can save lives. Unfortunately, however, many farmers do not use seatbelts on their tractors, because they find them to be uncomfortable or inconvenient, or unnecessary for the particular task at hand. This is a common – and costly – mistake. Research shows that, when used together, roll bars and seatbelts are 98% effective in preventing tractor-related injuries and deaths. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: *Read more…* In a study of more than 6,000 principal farm operators in Kentucky, 18 out of 19 operators who were wearing a seatbelt during the overturn of a roll bar-equipped tractor experienced no injuries or minor injuries. (One required outpatient care.) No deaths were reported to operators who were wearing a seatbelt during an overturn of a roll bar-equipped tractor. (Myers et al, 2006) The same study found that an unbelted 19 year old operating a roll bar equipped tractor died in a public roadway incident when he was ejected from the operator’s compartment. Another study found that in the US the only fatalities associated with overturns of roll bar-equipped tractors occurred when farmers did not use a seatbelt. (Reynolds and Groves, 2000) By the year 2000, 98% to 99% of all tractors in Sweden, Britain, and Germany were equipped with roll bars or crush-proof cabs. Fatalities in Sweden and Germany were found to have dropped “essentially to zero, almost 25 times lower than the U.S. fatality rate.” (Reynolds and Groves, 2000). Installing roll bars on the more than 1 million retrofittable tractors in the United States could reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and non-fatal injuries by 53%, according to Pana-Cryan and Myers, 2002 [note: large pdf file, slow download]. Installing roll bars on the more than 1 million retrofittable tractors in the United States could reduce fatalities from tractor overturns by more than 80% and non-fatal injuries by 53%, according to Pana-Cryan and Myers, 2002. Note: There are not commercially available roll bars for all types of tractors that need retrofitting. Roll Bars: Availability and Incentives Researchers recognize that many farm operators lack information about the availability of roll bars for specific makes and models of tractors. A lack of information about which roll bars are available for different tractors, what companies supply retrofit roll bars, and how to obtain roll bars often prevents tractor owners from locating and installing roll bars. To help meet the need for information about roll bars and roll bar retrofits, researchers at the National Farm Medicine Center in Marshfield, WI, developed a searchable online roll bar Guide, organized by tractor make and supplier: Bar guide. Other agricultural safety and health research centers, as well as cooperating equipment dealers and manufacturers, are likewise working to help make roll bars and roll bar retrofits more available to farm operators. Here are highlights of what researchers have found: *Read more…* In 2006, the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health organized a roll bar retrofit program providing rebates of 70% (up to $600) for the entire cost to retrofit a tractor, as well as a toll–free hotline that offers assistance in locating and pricing roll bar kits (1-877-ROPS-R4U). The program has received public funding through the New York State Legislature and has the support of the New York Farm Bureau and the Northeast Equipment Dealers Association. (NYCAMH, 2007) In the first year of the program, more than 1000 farmers contacted the hotline, resulting in 259 completed retrofits, 80 additional designated rebates, and another 400 rebates to be processed pending additional funding. In Kentucky, a roll bar incentive program increased the number of retrofit kits sold at a single dealership from 2 per year before to an average of 11 kits per year during the 4 ½ year intervention. (Myers et al, 2005) When county data from the Kentucky study was extrapolated statewide, researchers found that 7 lives could be saved and 40 non-fatal injuries in Kentucky would be averted over a combined 20-year intervention period/analytic horizon. The roll bar retrofit solution was cost effective, with an estimated “cost savings” of more than $35,000 per injury averted. (Myers et al, 2004) Researchers in Spain have used sophisticated computer modeling to develop and test a roll bar retrofit for the Massey Ferguson 178 tractor, one of the most common older models in that country lacking overturn protection. Incident simulations and force testing showed that the designed roll bars would be able to protect the tractor operator during a real overturn. (Mangado et al, 2007) In the United States, NIOSH has funded a study of cost-effective rollover protective structures (CROPS) with the hope of increasing adoption and eventually preventing injuries due to tractor overturns. Installing CROPS instead of existing ROPS retrofit improved the cost-effectiveness ratio substantially, with a 72% reduction in the net cost per injury prevented. Note: CROPS are weld-free retrofit roll bars constructed with common structural elements and fasteners. (Owusu-Edusei and Biddle, 2007) At the University of Tennessee and other universities across the US, engineers are methodically testing various models and materials for roll bar retrofits. Such painstaking scientific analysis includes shear testing and compression force testing – all designed to simulate the forces that could otherwise crush a tractor operator during an overturn or roadway collision. (Comer et al, 2007) In addition, NIOSH research has assisted the Centers in developing engineering controls to reduce injury from tractor overturns through AutoROPS, an automatically deployable roll bar for low clearance and orchard operations. Recommendations for Future Research Ongoing tractor safety research continues to increase understanding of problems and issues, find new and better ways to prevent injuries and illness, and evaluate the effectiveness of different solutions to reduce injury and deaths. Some recommendations for future research are: Assess the impact of federal cost-sharing, tax-based incentives or other incentive programs to motivate adoption of roll bars and seat belt safety practices by agricultural owners/employers Research why adoption of roll bar retrofits is low and ways to overcome barriers Develop and evaluate the effectiveness of alternative tractor overturn prevention technologies safety systems for new tractor designs community education programs to promote tractor safety national education curricula addressing tractor injury prevention Identify "full costs'' of injuries/fatalities to farmers, ranchers, employers, employees, families, and communities Conduct risk-benefit analyses of safety interventions and new technologies Develop accurate tools for research with special populations Develop a comprehensive tractor-related injury surveillance system and promote standardized reporting. This will provide direction for future research needs and tell us how well changes are working to reduce injuries and fatalities Assess the potential impact of regulations that restrict youth from operating tractors without roll bars/seat belts or in the absence of a valid driver's license Publications Cole HP [2007]. Next steps to reduce agricultural tractor overturn fatal and non-fatal injuires. JASH 13(4):347-8 Cole HP, Myers ML, Westneat SC [2006]. Frequency and severity of injuries to operators during overturns of farm tractors. JASH 12(2):127-138 Comer RS, Ayers P, Liu J [2007]. Evaluation of engineering plastic for rollover protective structure (ROPS) mounting. JASH 13(2):137-45 Costello TM, Schulman MD, Mitchell RE. Risk factors for a farm vehicle public road crash. Accid Anal Prev. 2009 Jan;41(1):42-7. Epub 2008 Sep 24. Donham K, Osterberg D, Meyers M, Lehtola C, Rautiainen R, Loveless L, Bedford L (eds). Tractor Risk Abatement and Control: The Policy Conference. Iowa's Center for Agricultural Safety and Health and The Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health, The University of Iowa. Iowa City, IA, 1997 Douphrate DI, Rosecrance JC, Wahl G [2006]. Workers’ compensation experience of Colorado agriculture workers 2000–2004. Am J of Industrial Med 49:900-910 Jenkins S, Marlenga B. [1998]. Introduction to the W.K. Kellogg Agricultural Safety and Health (ASH) Initiative. J Agromedicine 5(2):3-7 Loringer KA, Myers JR. Tracking the prevalence of rollover protective structures on U.S. farm tractors: 1993, 2001, and 2004. J Safety Res. 2008;39(5):509-17. Epub 2008 Oct 7. Myers J, Hendricks K, Agricultural Tractor Overturn Deaths: Assessment of Trends and Risk Factors. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2009 Merchant J, Kross B, Donham K, Pratt D (eds). Agriculture at Risk: A Report to the Nation. The National Coalition for Agricultural Safety and Health, Iowa City, IA, 1989 Myers J, Snyder K. [1995] Roll-over Protective Structures Use and the Cost of Retrofitting Tractors in the United States, 1993. JASH 1(3): 185-197 Myers ML, Cole HP, Westneat SC. Projected incidence and cost of tractor overturn-related injuries in the United States. In Proceedings of the 2007 Annual Meeting of the National Institute for Farm Safety; 2007 Jun 24-28. Accepted for publication in JASH in press Myers ML, Cole HP, Westneat SC [2006]. Seatbelt use during tractor overturns. JASH 12(1):43-49 Myers ML, Cole HP, Westneat SC [2005]. Cost-effectiveness of a dealer’s intervention for retrofitting rollover protective structures. Injury Prevention 11(3):169-173 Myers, ML, HP Cole, and SC Westneat [2004] Cost-effectiveness of a ROPS retrofit education campaign. J Ag Safety & Health.10(2):77-90 Myers, ML 2002. Tractor risk abatement and control as a coherent strategy. J Agric Safety and Health. 8(2):185-197 Myers, ML 2000. Imperatives for Saving Lives. J Agric Safety and Health. 6(2):99-101. Myers, ML and R Pana-Cryan. 2000. Prevention effectiveness of roll-over protective structures part II: decision analysis, J Agric Safety and Health. 6(1):41-55. Myers, ML 2000. Prevention effectiveness of roll-over protective structures, part I: strategy evolution, 2000. J Agric Safety and Health. 6(1):29-40. Meyers ML, et at (eds). NIOSH Auto-ROPS Field Tests Papers and Proceedings of the Surgeon General's Conference on Agricultural Safety and Health. DHHS (NIOSH) # 92-105 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cincinnati, OH, 1992 National Committee for Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention. Children and Agriculture: Opportunities for Safety and Health. Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI, 1996 NIOSH Ag Connections: Partnership Initiatives for Tractor Safety, NIOSH agricultural research centers update for Summer, 2003. Pana-Cryan R, Myers M. [2000] Prevention Effectiveness of Rollover Protective Structures -- Part III: Economic Analysis JASH 6(1):57-70 Rautiainen RH, Ohsfeldt R, Sprince NL, Donham KJ, Burmeister LF, Reynolds SJ, Saarimaki P Zwerling C [2005]. Cost of compensated injuries and occupational diseases in agriculture in Finland. J. Agromedicine, 10(3), 21-29. Reynolds S, Groves W. [2000] Effectiveness of Roll-Over Protective Structures in Reducing Farm Tractor Fatalities Am J Prev Med 18(4S):63-69 Wang X, Ayers P, Comer R [2005]. Modification and evaluation of continuous roll prediction model for front drive mowers ASAE Paper No. 05-5003 Back to Top
Questions about the Initiative? Contact Steve Reynolds, stephen.reynolds@colostate.edu Need technical assistance? Contact Stacey Holland, sh3@u.washington.edu
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